Walking through the passage, a nauseating stench of rot assaulted his senses.
Morintis couldn't help but cover his nose.
The entire thousand-meter-long passage had all its iron doors wide open, the cells behind them empty.
All the savage wolves had been eliminated, wiped clean.
At the end of the passage appeared a massive mining pit.
The pit was over a kilometer in diameter, its depths plunging into an impenetrable darkness.
A path spiraled downwards, populated by numerous Goblin-type monsters.
They wore armor and wielded large blades, patrolling the path in pairs.
[Goblin Elite Warrior (Enhanced Elite Monster)]
[Level: 15]
[Strength: 900]
[Agility: 800]
[Spirit: 400]
[Constitution: 900]
Their attributes were much weaker than the Boss's, none breaking a thousand.
Morintis didn't give them a second thought.
With a wave of his hand, his skeleton army charged into the mining pit.
Facing the tidal wave of Skeleton Warriors, these Enhanced Elite Monsters were powerless to resist.
They were killed one after another.
[Killed Level 15 Goblin Elite Warrior.Experience +4500]
[Obtained Beast Bone 6]
Notifications continuously popped up.
Morintis issued the command for free combat, swiftly clearing the monsters in the mining pit.
Although the Enhanced Elite Monsters were strong, they yielded rich experience and ample materials.
They were high-quality targets, offering much better cost-effectiveness than ordinary monsters outside.
"If I solo a Hell difficulty dungeon in the future, the experience should be even greater."
If anyone knew this was Morintis's thought, they'd probably want to spit in his face.
Solo-ing a Hell difficulty dungeon?
Throughout the entire history of humanity, no one had ever done it.
Historical figures who solo-ed Nightmare difficulty dungeons were already recorded in the annals.
Solo-ing a Hell difficulty dungeon was simply a joke.
People had tried; they all died and never returned.
Morintis followed the path downward.
The monsters along the way had been cleared out.
By the time he reached the bottom of the mining pit, his experience had reached 99%.
He was just one step away from leveling up.
Now, only the final Boss remained in the entire dungeon.
"As long as I kill it, I should reach Level 12, right?"
One trip through the dungeon, taking just over an hour, netting him over one level.
The efficiency far exceeded expectations.
Grinding the Nightmare difficulty a few more times like this, reaching Level 16, or even Level 18 or 19, wouldn't be difficult.
With the levels secured, entry into Xiaming Academy would be a certainty.
"Sister, we'll meet again soon."
Thinking of Morana, Morintis rarely showed a smile.
The Mine Dungeon's great Boss sat in the center of the mine, its large mouth continuously inhaling and exhaling air.
Its breathing sounded like thunder, reverberating through the cavernous mine.
Each breath stirred up hurricane-like gusts.
Morintis was almost blown off his feet.
This great Boss was completely unaware of the events outside.
Its state was similar to deep meditation, though it was merely asleep.
A Detection spell swept over it like a gentle breeze.
[Goblin King (Chieftain-tier Monster)]
[Level: 16]
[Strength: 3000]
[Agility: 1500]
[Spirit: 1500]
[Constitution: 3000]
[Skills: Flame Jet, Sweeping Strike, Repel.]
Its attributes weren't significantly higher than the Mine Wolf King's, only slightly stronger in Strength and Constitution.
Morintis even felt his Skeleton Warriors could duel it one-on-one.
The Detection spell startled it awake.
It slowly opened its eyes and looked at Morintis.
Then, with a roar, it leaped up.
Swinging its giant blade, it came down directly towards Morintis's head.
The massive blade descended with terrifying air pressure.
Morintis didn't dodge or evade.
His eyes were utterly calm, even holding a trace of mockery.
The seemingly terrifying blade abruptly stopped just ten centimeters away from Morintis.
It was as if an invisible force prevented the blade from advancing even a millimeter.
Damage Transfer.
All attacks Morintis suffered were borne by his summons.
Suddenly, Morintis frowned.
Because he felt all his Skeleton Warriors get injured.
The soul fires of every Skeleton Warrior flickered violently, their glow dimming by a third.
Fine cracks simultaneously appeared on their bones.
"How could this be?"
Morintis was startled, somewhat puzzled.
He was rarely surprised; even when the giant blade came straight for him, he remained exceptionally calm, not even blinking.
Last night, killing three people was his first time taking human life, and he was equally composed.
In his eyes, killing people and killing monsters weren't that different.
It wasn't that he was cold-blooded.
His sister Morana had told him: no matter what happens, remain calm.
In dangerous situations, only calmness ensures survival.
He quickly retreated.
The Skeleton Warriors rushed in front of the Goblin King, simultaneously protecting him.
Furious Strike!
The Skeleton Warriors used their skill en masse.
Powerful attacks landed on the Goblin King, inflicting massive damage.
Instantly, the Goblin King's flesh split open.
Naturally, the Goblin King shifted its focus to the Skeleton Warriors and began attacking them.
Morintis stepped aside, pondering what had just happened.
The effect of Damage Transfer was to transfer the damage he received to his summons.
All summons shared the damage equally.
He suddenly understood.
The reason all Skeleton Warriors were injured simultaneously, and significantly so, was primarily due to his own weak attributes.
With only 120 Constitution, his defenses were frail.
Facing the Goblin King with its 3000 Strength, how much damage would he have taken?
The transferred damage was calculated based on his own stats, ignoring the Skeleton Warriors' defense.
All that damage was transferred to the Skeleton Warriors, hence why they all got injured.
If that blade had struck a Skeleton Warrior directly, the injury would likely have been much, much lighter.
"So, I am the only weak point."
"It seems I need to stack Constitution from now on."
"The stronger my defense, the stronger my summoning legion becomes."